books.google.com - "The first full–length monograph on the history of the Ryukyu Islands in any Western language…a standard work."—Pacific AffairsThis book is the definitive work on Okinawan History and an important scholarly work in the fields of Japanese studies and Japanese history.Few people can point to Okinawa...https://books.google.com/books/about/Okinawa_The_History_of_an_Island_People.html?id=vaAKJQyzpLkC&utm_source=gb-gplus-shareOkinawa: The History of an Island People

Okinawa: The History of an Island People

"The first full–length monograph on the history of the Ryukyu Islands in any Western language…a standard work."—Pacific Affairs

This book is the definitive work on Okinawan History and an important scholarly work in the fields of Japanese studies and Japanese history.

Few people can point to Okinawa on a map, yet this tiny island sitting between China and Japan was and continues to be one of the most crucial Asian nerve centers in all U.S. strategic defense. Ninety percent of all U.S. military forces in Japan are located on Okinawa, one of the Ryukyu Islands, and it was through these troops that the martial art of karate was exported to the United States.

In Okinawa: History of an Island People, noted Eastern affairs specialist George Kerr recounts the fascinating history of the island and its environs, from 1314 A.D. to the late twentieth century. The histories of Japan, Okinawa and the entire Pacific region are crucially intertwined so the study of this fascinating chain of islands is crucial to understanding all of East Asia. First published in 1958, this edition features a new introduction and appendix by Okinawa history scholar Mitsugu Sakihara, making this the most comprehensive resource on the small, vital, and intriguing island of Okinawa.

Review: Okinawa: The History of an Island People

User Review - Neal Hamilton - Goodreads

A detailed introduction to the history of Okinawa. The edition that I read also included a brief set of afterwords thathelped clear up some points both of later Okinawan history and also of new ...Read full review

Review: Okinawa: The History of an Island People

User Review - Elizabeth Coyne - Goodreads

I'm only on page 120 or so, and it's pretty good. I have about three hundred pages to go.Read full review

Popular passages

Page 11 - It is their purpose that Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has seized or occupied since the beginning of the first World War in 1914, and that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa and the Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China. Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed.

Page 7 - Japan will concur in any proposal of the United States to the United Nations to place under its trusteeship system, with the United States as the sole administering authority, Nansei Shoto south of 29° north latitude (including the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands), Nanpo Shoto south of Sofu Can (including the Bonin Islands, Rosario Island and the Volcano Islands) and Parece Vela and Marcus Island.

Page 11 - The three great Allies are fighting this war to restrain and punish the aggression of Japan. They covet no gain for themselves and have no thought of territorial expansion. It is their purpose that Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has seized or occupied since the beginning of the first World War in 1914, and that all the territories...

Page 7 - Islands, Rosario Island and the Volcano Islands) and Parece Vela and Marcus Island. Pending the making of such a proposal and affirmative action thereon, the United States will have the right to exercise all and any powers of administration, legislation and jurisdiction over the territory and inhabitants of these islands, including their territorial waters.

About the author (2000)

George Kerr, a Far Eastern affairs specialist for more than sixty years, served a variety of roles for the U.S. government, taking assignments in Formosa, Korea, China, the Middle East, Okinawa, and Europe. He is the author of Formosa: Betrayed and Okinawa, Vol. 12 of the Ballantine Illustrated History of WWII, in addition to many articles for journals. After retiring from government service, he lived in Hawaii, where he continued to write and research until his death in 1992.

Mitsugu Sakihara is a professor and the president of Hawaii International College. Prior to assuming his duties at Hawaii International, he taught for many years at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where he continues to teach an annual course on Okinawan history. Dr. Sakihara was a 1987-88 Fulbright professor to Japan, and he is the author of Brief History of Early Okinawa: Based on the Omoro Soshi and co-translator of The Status System and Social Organization of Satsuma.